


The Great Divide Chapter 26: Fading Memories

by Antigravity_Carnivore



Series: The Great Divide [26]
Category: Breaking Benjamin (Band), STARSET (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Alternate Universe - Music, Alternate Universe - Science Fiction, Computers, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/M, Future Fic, Gay, Gay Male Character, Inspired by Music, M/M, Music, Musical References, Musicians, Rebellion, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-24
Updated: 2018-03-24
Packaged: 2019-04-07 04:07:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 15,424
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14072571
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Antigravity_Carnivore/pseuds/Antigravity_Carnivore
Summary: One year has passed since the downfall of the F.E.C. Prox has been returned to it's former glory, and the Messengers are starting to breathe new life into the planet. Thomas, Lizzie, Benjamin and Dustin have made the Shallow Bay their new home, but sadly the peace that they have so desperately worked for is shattered by a waking dream.





	The Great Divide Chapter 26: Fading Memories

**Author's Note:**

> Due to popular demand, I have decided to do this short 5 part mini series to the Great Divide before moving onto my next project.  
> Look for updates on the facebook page, STARDUST for more information.

There was a strange coldness in the air that chilled Thomas right down to the bone. He shivered and wrapped his arms around himself, realizing that he was still dressed in the thin bedclothes that he had worn to sleep only a few hours ago. Glancing down, he noticed that he was standing in freezing cold water, which ran about three inches deep, covering his bare feet. There was nothing but darkness around for as far as he could see, and it gave him a sinister, almost ominous feeling. “Where am I?” he whispered, his voice coming out in crystallized frost from his lips. “Is this a dream?” He asked into the darkness.

There was a slight sound of water rippling behind him, and then a voice spoke. “Yes, this is a dream.”

Thomas turned around quickly, splashing the frigid water up onto his sleeping pants. It instantly soaked into the material, making him feel even more cold. His eyes feel on the unbelievable sight before him, of his friend and fallen companion, Brock Richards. He was pale and incredibly tired looking, with dark circles lining the flesh underneath his deep brown eyes. Still wearing the black F.E.C. flight jacket that Burnley had given him, Brock was thin and gaunt, the material barely hanging over his shoulder bones. “Brock, it’s good to see you again.” Thomas said, smiling. 

“Thomas, listen to me. I don’t have much time here and I need your help.”

Sensing the seriousness in Brock’s voice, Thomas let the smile fade from his face and nodded. Whatever this dream was about, it was moving on quickly and he felt the need to just go along with it. He just wished that he could have this discussion someplace warmer, without standing in the icy water. “What do you need, Brock?” He asked.

Closing his eyes for a moment, Brock seemed to have difficulty standing. His body swayed a bit and his hands shook like leaves in a windstorm. Several moments of silence passed before he was able to open his eyes again and focus. “I am dying, Thomas.”

Shaking his head, Thomas looked at Brock confused. He moved slightly, his feet now uncomfortably cold and starting to become painful in the freezing water and whispered. “Brock, you’re already dead.”

“No.” Brock whispered. “Not really.” That night… I went back to Burnley and held him in my arms as he lay dying, something happened. The base was exploding, there was fire and glass everywhere… and she came to me.”

“She?” Thomas interrupted. “Who is she?”

Brock continued on, not even noticing Thomas’s question. “At first, I felt warm, comforted… I thought that she was someone I knew… but I was wrong. She wore a visor, but when she knelt down in front of me, I could see past all those pulsing lights and wires, into her real eyes, and I was filled with horror.” As he spoke, Brock started to slowly walk over towards him, each word carrying him closer and closer, until he was face to face with the young man. “I could feel the heat from the fires surrounding me, and the stinging of each and every shard of glass biting into my skin as it rained down from the window high above, but all of this was nothing as compared to what she did next.”

Swallowing back a lump of fear that had gathered in his throat, Thomas shivered in the icy darkness. “What… what did she do to you?”

Lifting up his hand, Brock looked into Thomas’s eyes for a moment and then hovered his fingers in front of his chest for a moment. “I can't tell you, but I can show you.” Without warning, Brock reached out and jammed each one of his fingertips into the flesh surrounding Thomas’s heart, and it stopped beating for a moment. The darkness melted away and suddenly he could see the F.E.C. base again which they had escaped from, but he wasn’t looking through his own eyes, he was looking through Brock’s. He saw Dustin lean over and kiss him, tasting the warm sweetness of his soft lips, then a flash of light and a spray of blood as he pounded his fist over and over against the control panel embedded in a wall. Thomas could feel the skin being sliced open by the damaged shards of protruding metal, and the agony of each and every bone in his hand breaking. He sank down to the floor sobbing, his heart aching. There was a gun in front of him, he picked it up with fearful, trembling hands. There was so much pain now, it was almost unbearable. His head throbbed and he wanted to scream out, he wanted to do anything to make it stop. He brought the gun to his head. One shot and then peace. It would be over soon. Pull the trigger, make it stop, make everything stop. He applied light pressure to the trigger, and then felt a soft hand on his shoulder. He turned around. It was Burnley. Another flash of light, and now he was in Burnley’s arms. He knew that he should be repulsed, but he wasn’t. Somehow, all the pain and fear melted away. He couldn’t stop staring at those lips, he wanted to kiss them. There was the sound of voices screaming, he now saw Dustin holding a gun aiming at Burnley. No. He couldn’t let it happen. Thomas moved to get in front of Burnley, but he lost his balance and fell against the wall, smashing his head into the concrete and passed out. He awoke to find himself standing over Benjamin now, tears streaming down his face, holding a syringe against his neck. Dustin was pleading with him, Lizzie was screaming. There was a bright flash of light again, and then a loud pop. Thomas fell down to the floor, clutching his wounded arm in agony. Lizzie had shot him. Trying to figure out what was going on, Thomas moaned in agony as the scene once again shifted, and Ben now threw him against the wall, shaking him with extreme force and indescribable power, as the others looked on in horror. He could see flecks of amber in those gray green eyes. Dustin pulled Ben off him, and then a whirl of cold air surrounded him and he found himself standing at the bottom of a hill. Dustin was crying, and trying his best to talk to him, but Thomas couldn’t make out his words. Everything jumbled together. All he could hear was the whipping of the wind and Burnley’s voice inside of his head repeating the same phrase over and over again. ‘Because I love you.’ Thomas walked away from Dustin and back down the hill, returning to the base. Burnley was dying in his arms now, the armor that he had once shielded himself with disintegrated, revealing the broken, shattered man inside. This wasn’t the sadistic lunatic that they had fought against, nor was it the warped, twisted man that hunted them down one by one, intent on destroying them. In his arms was the sweet, innocent soul of the little boy that had been taken all those years ago, the one that would grow into the man that had shown him a moment of compassion and love when no one else would. Burnley was finally free. 

Thomas watched as the last breath left his lungs and felt like his heart was dying with him. No one would ever see this, no one but Brock. Now he knew why Brock had chosen to go back. He saw the goodness inside of Burnley, and was willing to give up his own life for it. The grief washed over him like a tidal wave. All Thomas could do was cry. His body was filled with such sorrow and agony, and the only way to get these feelings out was to shed tears and scream in rage. His cries echoed loudly as the base exploded around him and the flames moved in. No one would ever hear those screams, or at least he thought. Then ‘she’ showed up. Who was this woman? What was she saying to him? He couldn’t understand her words. Then she knelt down and pulled Burnley's body away from him. He didn’t want to let go. He knew that he had to hold onto it. Don’t take it away! You can’t do this. I fought so hard! I need to hold onto it, it’s my lifeline, if you take it away… if you take him away… I will die. The woman smiled at him and reached out. Thomas could see himself reflected in her visor. He looked past the visor, into her eyes, her real eyes. The woman stretched her hand out and placed it over his heart. Thomas tried to look past the illuminated glass and see what was beneath, just a little closer. She leaned in and pressed her fingers down tight. Thomas felt his heart beat faster than ever before. His breath came in rapid gasps. The last thing he saw before his heart exploded was the glint of amber eyes lurking beneath the glass visor, and then his lifeless body hit the floor. The room was consumed in flames and the woman stood up, laughing and started to walk away. The darkness descended on him, then suddenly he was awoken with the feeling of Dustin’s soft lips on his. Opening his eyes, he saw that he was back in the infirmary again… a moment of panic came over him. The next thing he knew, he was feeling the blind rage and torment as he slammed his fist into the panel of the control room over and over, feeling the metal cut into his flesh, the bones in his hand breaking. He was reliving the same memories over and over. Thomas shrieked and dropped down to the floor, staring at his blood covered hands.

“NO!” Thomas was still yelling as the cold water hit his face. Looking around, he saw that he was now sitting down in the freezing water of the dark place, with Brock standing over him. He was completely soaked now, and shaking violently. He looked up to Brock. “I saw it, I saw it all, everything that you went through that night. I felt it all.” Tears streamed down his eyes. 

Standing motionless, Brock gazed at him with dark eyes. “She has trapped me. I am forced to relive this night over and over again. Starting with the moment of Dustin and I in the infirmary, and ending with her stopping my heart. I am forced to experience all this pain and torment in a vicious, never-ending circle. It is wearing me thin, and I cannot bear it much longer, she means to destroy me with these memories, so that I simply let go and fade away into nothingness.”

“Who is she?” Thomas asked.

“I don’t know. That’s why I need your help, Thomas. It’s not just my soul that’s at stake here, there’s something more. She’s part of something that I can’t quite figure out, but I do know it’s not good. I think she means to destroy Prox, but she isn’t there yet. She’s trapped somewhere, and the only thing standing between her being free and remaining in this dream world is me. If I fall, then she will have the freedom of the flesh to walk free. You can’t let that happen. Stop her, Thomas.”

Looking away from Brock to his water-logged hands, Thomas stared dully at his fingers. They weren’t covered in blood like he had thought, but instead they were freezing cold, and numb with what felt like frostbite. It was all too real. “This…is just a dream, right?”

“What are dreams but images, thoughts, sounds, voices, and experiences that we live through when we sleep? It is the point when our bodies shut down and we are more susceptible to seeing things which are normally hidden. When you were a slave of the F.E.C. did you not dream of a world of freedom and then awaken to find one waiting for you? Dreams are real, Thomas. All you have to do is believe in them.” Brock said softly.

“Why me?” Thomas asked, sloshing around in the water. “Why did you choose to come to me with this? I can’t do anything. I am leader of the Shallow Bay now; I have people to look after… a wife, kids. I have responsibilities. I can’t do this. Maybe Benjamin…or Dustin…” Thomas stopped and looked back up to Brock. “I killed Burnley…. That’s why you want me to do it, isn’t it? Because I was the one who drove that sword through his body and delivered the killing blow.”

Brock knelt down in front of Thomas. Thomas noticed that his feet did not touch the water at all, but instead he stood on top of it, like some sort of ghost. “No. That’s not why I chose to come to you. Burnley needed to be punished for his crimes. Only by ending his life was the innocent child that was trapped inside able to be set free. No Thomas, I do not hold you, or anyone else responsible for his death, you can rest easy.”

“Then why choose me?” Thomas asked.

Rising up to his feet, Brock offered his hand to Thomas. “If snow melts down to water, and becomes the waves of the ocean does it still remember being snow?” 

“What? Brock, I don't understand what you are saying!” Thomas said, shivering. “I don't understand what is going on here.”

Brock did not answer, but stood motionless, waiting for him to take his hand. Thomas didn't want to take it, there was something about touching Brock's cold skin that didn't feel quiet right. His cryptic answer to the question and the general eeriness of the whole thing was giving him the chills. Sighing and trying to convince himself that this was nothing more than a dream, Thomas reached up and took hold of Brock’s hand. The moment their fingers touched, the darkness descended on both of them and Thomas could feel the water start to rise up around his body. He desperately tried to hold onto Brock’s hand but the waves grew higher and higher, and soon he found that he was totally submerged in the murky depths. Gasping for air, he felt Brock’s fingers slip lose from his grip as he went under into the darkness below and the first mouthfuls of water start to fill up his lungs. The last thing he could remember was looking up, to see Brock standing high above him with fear in his eyes, as a beautiful young woman came from behind him and wrapped her arms around him. Her long flowing blonde hair cascaded down over Brock’s shoulders as she leaned in and embraced him tightly, bringing her body in close to his. He closed his eyes and started to scream. Thomas could hear the pain in his voice, even under the water as he was being dragged down further and further away from them. Those agonizing screams were silenced as Brock’s body started to fade away, disappearing into her arms. The blonde woman laughed as he vanished, and readjusting her visor, turned her gaze to Thomas, plunging her arm into the water, trying to grab him. 

He awoke with a start, trapped in a cocoon of sweat soaked sheets and blankets that were wrapped tightly around his body. Thomas sat up in his bed, and ran his hands over his face. The dream, or whatever it was had frightened him right down to the core and he found that he was still trembling. He glanced over and saw that Lizzie was still sleeping next to him, her long dark hair spilling down over the pillow surrounding her like a halo. For a moment, he considered waking her, so that he could tell her about the dream, but the dark circles under her eyes reminded him that with the pregnancy and giving birth to twins, she was very much in need of some solid rest. Leaning in, Thomas pushed some hair away from Lizzie’s face and kissed her cheek. She stirred slightly but did not wake. 

Forcing himself up and out of bed, Thomas made his way to the bathroom and splashed some water on his face. The coolness of the liquid did not soothe or comfort him from the memories of his bad dream, but instead made him uncomfortable and anxious. He glanced at the clock, which read 2:13 a.m. with the date displayed in bright letters underneath and sighed. It was one year ago today when they had escaped from the F.E.C. base and lost Brock. He silently wondered if these unresolved feelings were the reason for the terrible nightmare he had to endure. Brock appeared to him for a reason, giving him a warning and a task to accomplish, but Thomas knew that he couldn’t act on it. He was the commander of the Shallow Bay; he had a reputation to live up to, and couldn’t go around chasing after dreams. All it was, was a fading memory, that was all. What else could it be? 

He needed some fresh air. Stepping out of his sweat soaked clothing, he pulled on a fresh uniform and made his way through the living quarters, stopping for a moment to peek into the cribs in the nursery where his sons were sleeping. At three months old, Tristan, had already taken to sleeping completely through the night and never fussing at all. He was the perfect baby. Always smiled when tickled and remaining quiet when it was proper to do so, he seemed unusually wise for being so young. Little Benjamin, on the other hand was turning out to be a handful. After his birth, he had taken ill on several occasions and Lizzie had to take him to Dawn for urgent medical care, almost losing him twice in three months. The doctors couldn’t explain what was wrong with him, but frequent blood transfusions seemed to help. Night time was the worst. He refused to go to sleep, choosing to remain awake in his crib, whimpering and whining until the small hours of the morning when eventually he would exhaust himself and sleep almost all day. He was a worry to Thomas, but Lizzie always assured him that it was nothing, and he’d grow out of it. Lizzie was always his voice of reason. Strangely tonight, both of his sons were sleeping soundly in their cribs, tucked in with their handmade blankets and teddy bears. Breathing a sigh of relief, Thomas gave each of them a quick kiss before heading out. 

Making his way through the nearly empty corridors and halls of the Shallow Bay, Thomas stopped to say hello to a few of the night shift people who were on duty with a casual nod, before finding himself at the exit. He pushed the door open and let the cool night air hit him, breathing it in and filling his lungs. It felt so much better than being drowned in a sea of darkness in his dreams. The temperature outside was in the mid 70’s, nice and balmy for a summer night. Since the destruction of the Everything Machine, Prox had undergone massive climate changes, but now they were finally starting to settle down and become more regular, with a spring, summer, fall and winter. It was early summer now, and the insects were starting to return, including the bright yellow fireflies that popped out of the grass nearby, guiding Thomas as he made his way down the path to the meadow where he and Lizzie had been married. The twisted metal arch that had been constructed there and tied with ribbons still remained, but since had undergone a massive change. No longer could the massive steel beams be seen, but instead there was a soft, green moss that covered it, sprouting tiny, white flowers that circled and twisted around it like soft braids of bright color. The same thing had happened to the steel trees that Aaron had fabricated and brought in from Dawn. Everything in the meadow now was soft and bursting with light and life. Lizzie’s fairytale garden had come to life.

Further down in the meadow, something caught Thomas’s eye. Curious, he made his way down the twisting path to find that someone had lit a small campfire. While not unusual for someone to be enjoying the night outdoors, it was highly unusual for them to be out at this late hour. Deciding to investigate, Thomas made his way down to the fire and discovered Benjamin sitting casually on a tree stump there near the fire, a cigarette in one hand and a drink in another. His guitar was nearby. Thomas approached him and sat across the fire from him, tossing some small sticks and branches into the embers. “I didn’t think anyone would be out here at this hour. You couldn’t sleep either Benjamin?” he asked. 

Benjamin didn’t bother looking up from the fire, but instead took a long drink from his bottle. This disturbed Thomas, he was certain that Ben told Dustin he had stopped drinking. “I needed some fresh air.” He said flatly. 

“Yeah. It’s kind of muggy in there. I’ll have the maintenance look at the ventilation system in the morning. Now that we’ve got some sort of stability with the weather patterns going on now, we can start to plan accordingly and keep the base properly maintained with living conditions.” Thomas picked up a long stick and started to poke the fire with it. 

“If snow melts down to water, and becomes the waves of the ocean does it still remember being snow?”

Thomas dropped his stick. “What did you just say?” He looked up to the stars shining brightly in the night sky. There wasn’t a cloud to be seen. Why would Ben say something about snow? 

Benjamin looked over at Thomas who was staring at him in disbelief. There was a slight chill in the air. “The storm is coming, it will be here by morning.”

Walking over, Thomas came to sit next to Benjamin. “That quote about snow becoming water...Brock said that to me in a dream tonight. Did you have the same one too?” He asked curiously.

Benjamin tossed the bottle aside and took a long drag off his cigarette. “It’s the dream I’ve been having for the last fucking month. Over and over. He’s been begging with me, pleading me to help him every night. The minute I close my eyes the dream starts and I am forced to live through that night with him. Do you know what it feels like to have to go through all of that for hours on end, waiting until the sun comes up to stop it? It’s more than a nightmare, its fucking hell.”

Thomas shivered, remembering the content of the dream, especially the part with Burnley. Benjamin would have to experience his son dying in his arms countless times. This is why Ben had been drinking. “I don’t think it’s a dream anymore, Benjamin. We’ve both experienced it, and maybe the others have too. We need to talk to them about it. Brock is trying to tell us that we’re in danger here, and we need to listen to him.”

Standing up, Ben exhaled and blew the cigarette smoke into the air. “Listen to yourself, Thomas. You sound like a lunatic. Brock is dead. Prox is safe. Don’t go bringing the others into it; you’re putting them at risk if you do. Just forget about it and go on with your life like I’ve been doing.”

There was a tone in Ben’s voice that instantly made Thomas fearful. “I can’t ignore something like this, and neither should you Ben! It’s more than a dream, Brock is reaching out to us, he needs our help, and you’ve been turning him away? Don’t you think Dustin should know?” Thomas hesitated for a moment. He had always looked up to and respected Ben greatly, and the last year working together as co-leaders of the Shallow Bay had brought them even closer, but he knew there would be a time when he’d have to question his choices, and now was that time. Taking a breath, Thomas summoned his courage and prayed that his intuition was right. “There’s something you’re not telling me that figures into all of this, isn’t there?”

Turning away from Thomas, Ben kicked at a log sticking out of the fire. The darkness was suddenly illuminated with a hundred brightly burning embers. “Selene intercepted a message about a month ago from someone claiming to be Brock, and he needed her help. That is all she told me. She wouldn’t reveal the source of the communication or where she was going. I insisted that she let me help her, but she refused and left on her own before I could stop her. That was a month ago, the night when the dreams first started. I didn’t tell Dustin, about the message because he’s finally gotten over Brock. To hear this would only hurt him again. I am not willing to rip that wound open again…and the dreams… that’s all they are, just dreams, nothing more. Selene can take care of herself.”

Thomas stood up and came to stand in front of Benjamin. “Look Ben, things have been wonderful for us, I don’t want to ruin a good thing either, but there’s more to this than just people’s emotions getting hurt. Didn’t you see that woman; didn’t you take a good look at her? She was wearing a visor, some sort of new one that I haven’t seen before. Its design is out of this world. Even if we can’t save Brock… we need to address this and start investigating, find out who that blond woman is and…”

“No!” Ben shouted. Moving away from Thomas, he walked past him and grabbed hold of his guitar, picking it up roughly. “Thomas, I am warning you one last time. Step away from this fucking fantasy you have about Brock’s soul or whatever the hell it is being trapped or else you’re going to get hurt. Go back up there to your family and be a husband and father, be the leader of the Shallow Bay and a friend to Dustin. Don’t go filling anyone’s heads with this bullshit theory you have or you’re going to regret it.”

“What about Selene? She’s been gone for a month now and there’s no sign of her. She could be in danger out there all by herself, you should of told me sooner Benjamin! A lie by omission is still a lie! She’s my mother; you had no right keeping this from me.” Thomas shouted. Suddenly, he heard steps on the path and saw a patrol come walking around the corner. He sighed to himself and fell silent, letting them pass by. The crackling fire popped loudly, breaking the silence between the two men, until the patrol left. Giving Thomas enough time to regain his composure. “I don’t want to argue with you about this, I understand that you are trying to protect us all Ben, but I have this feeling that something’s not quite right here. We’re dealing with forces greater than both of us, I can’t explain why I feel this way, or how I know that I really spoke to Brock’s spirit tonight, but I just know I am right. I feel it.”

“You sound like your mother.” Benjamin said quietly. He wrapped his fingers tight around the neck of the guitar and started to walk back up the hill to the base. Stopping for a moment, he called back over his shoulder. “They used to call her a witch.”

I woke up to the sound of children laughing and playing outside my window. Rolling over in bed, I tried to tune them out and fall back asleep, but as I stretched out, I noticed that Ben wasn’t in bed with me. I never liked waking up alone; it gave me a sense of abandonment that I just couldn’t get over. I spent several more minutes fussing about on the bed before resigning myself to my fate and getting up. Quietly, I made my way through our living quarters, looking around for some sign of Ben, but there was none. I found his guitar thrown haphazardly on the couch, and this worried me. He was usually so careful about it, always returning it gently to the custom stand that he had made for it. Picking it up, I ran my hands over the strings for a moment. This had been the happiest year of my life. Things had settled down, order was being restored to Prox and Ben and I were finally together. There was always something lingering in the back of my mind though, which warned me that one day, this could all possibly come crashing down, but I refused to listen to it. I had everything I wanted here in the Shallow Bay, and nothing could take that away from me.

Unexpectedly the buzzer rang, startling me out of my thoughts and I grabbed my robe and threw it on as quickly as I could, making my way over to the door. I opened it, and found Thomas standing out there, looking a bit disheveled and in obvious need of a few more hours of sleep as well. “Good morning Thomas, up early today?”

He let out a long sigh. “Actually I’ve been awake for a few hours. Dustin, I need you to get dressed and come down to the briefing room right away, it’s important.” He turned and started to walk down the hall before I could say anything else.

I poked my head out of the door and called after him. “Thomas, what is this all about?”

He stopped, dead in his tracks. “It’s about Brock.” Suddenly I felt as though someone had hit my chest with a massive punch. Thomas made his way back down the corridor, and I retreated back in the room, completely stunned. 

I struggled to keep my head focused as I quickly got dressed. Not even bothering to put on my usual attire, I threw on a pair of pants and a simple t-shirt and made my way down to the briefing room. Hearing Brock’s name again made me feel anxious and uneasy. It had taken me a year to come to terms with losing him, and now all the emotional stability I fought so hard for was starting to crumble and fall away with just a few simple words. I kept telling myself that Brock was dead, he was gone, and I had to accept this. He had made his choice to return to Burnley and there was nothing I could do about it. I said my final goodbye to him at the wedding, and in return he sent me away with that awful, terrible kiss. 

Entering the briefing room, I saw that Thomas, Ben, Lizzie and Aaron were all there sitting around a massive table. None of them looked happy at all. I took a seat next to Ben, and noticed that he was strangely clean shaven this morning, and was wearing his black cadet hat. I could see dark circles under his eyes, a clear sign that he had not slept much just like Thomas. Had he been up all night again? Thomas cleared his throat. “Alright, the first thing that I want to say is that everything that we say in here remains here. There is no reason to get any of our people, or the people from Dawn upset in anyway. We can deal with this situation internally is that understood?”

“There wouldn’t be a need for you to stress this point, if certain people weren’t invited.” Ben said curtly, glancing right at Aaron. “I still don’t understand why you even asked him to be here. This has nothing to do with him, or any other Messenger bases, Thomas.”

Aaron shifted in his chair, anxious to say something back to Ben, but Thomas cut him off before he could even get started. “Aaron’s been a part of this just as much as the rest of us. Do I have to remind you, Benjamin that if it wasn’t for him, we’d all have frozen to death after we escaped?” I glanced over to Benjamin who was silently fuming, but didn’t say anything. I knew that there was a reason why he let Thomas talk down to him temporarily. He was choosing his battles and this clearly wasn’t one of them. I lightly rested my hand on top of Ben’s and he quickly pulled away and sat back in his chair, sulking as Thomas began again. “Now then, I called you all here because we have reason to believe that the F.E.C. may possibly be organizing themselves again. There have been sightings of new visors being used, and one of our operatives is missing.”

“Selene.” I whispered.

Thomas nodded. “Yes… Benjamin, would you like to take the floor and explain this?”

Ben shot Thomas an angry glance, he obviously didn’t want to be put on the spot, but then let it pass. I had a feeling that this meeting was not his idea at all. “One month ago, Selene received a message from someone claiming to be Brock, saying that he needed help. He gave her coordinates and instructed her to come alone. She decided that she wanted to pursue this on her own, and we lost contact with her.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Selene was missing, lured away by Brock? I wouldn’t accept it. “Brock is dead, there is no way he could be sending messages.”

Thomas sat forward in his chair. “Yes he’s dead Dustin, but he’s not totally gone. He came to me in a dream last night, and told me that his soul was being imprisoned by someone. A woman with blond hair, wearing a new type of visor, who may be a threat to us. He explained that his soul is the only thing that is keeping her from attaining physical form and being released on Prox. Every day that passes, he grows weaker and weaker as she grows stronger. We think that Brock reached out to Selene for help, but she was intercepted somewhere along the way. Now he’s contacting us, via dreams to warn us as well, but every time he does so, he gets weaker and weaker. We need to find out where this woman is holding his soul prisoner and free him, before she completely drains him and is able to bring her weapons to Prox.”

Aaron stifled a laugh. “You’re all mad here. The fake transmission and Selene disappearing, I can understand, but a soul being trapped? That’s a pretty far-fetched idea. Instead of dealing with bio-genetically altered humans ravaging our planet, you’re screwing around with ghosts? It seems to me that you’re trying to create something out of nothing.”

“It’s the truth.” Lizzie spoke up. Her eyes flashed at Aaron. “Thomas told me about the dream this morning. He’s not a liar, Aaron. If you could only hear the tone in his voice, feel his hand shaking as he explained it all in detail, you’d know. And Thomas isn’t the only one who’s been experiencing this dream. Benjamin has been having them for over a month, since Selene disappeared! How can you explain the same dream every night? You might not believe in souls being able to reach out and communicate with the living, but I do… Selene did too.”

I glanced over at Ben and he gave me a guilty look. Now I knew why he had been up at night, roaming the halls of the Shallow Bay until the sun came up, suffering in silence. I was furious that he never spoke a word of this to me, I was furious and I wanted answers. “Ben?”

Pushing his chair out, Ben rose to his feet and walked over to the window. “Every single night Brock came to talk to me. Some nights he’d just come for a few minutes, begging for help and then leave me be, or other nights he would show me the pain and agony that he was forced to endure over and over again at the hands of his captor. Each time, I’d tell him no, each time I’d refuse him. I couldn’t offer him any help and do you know why? Because he is dead, my son is dead, and that’s where they both need to stay. It’s been exactly one year to the day that we lost them. We need to forget about the past and move on.”

The room fell silent. No one knew what to say. Everyone was completely floored by Ben’s unusual coldness. It felt like the night when we escaped and he threw Brock up against the wall. This wasn’t the man that I knew, and I was starting to worry that the past was coming back to haunt us. I was hurt that Ben had been keeping these dreams a secret from me, but I understood why. I slid my hands underneath the table to hide the fact that they were shaking. The knowledge that Brock’s soul was trapped somewhere was hard to believe. If it were true, and he had contacted Selene, Ben and even Thomas why not me? Had I really done so much damage to him with my careless words and actions that he couldn’t even forgive me, not even in death? The thought was overwhelming. I stood up and walked over to Ben, putting my hand on his arm. “We’ve had a year of peace, Lizzie and Thomas got married, they’ve started a family, we rebuilt Prox, destroyed the F.E.C., and found ourselves in the process. If Brock is truly trying to warn us that our home could be in danger, then don’t you think we should listen to him and defend ourselves against this new threat? If we keep turning a blind eye to it, and pretending like nothing is wrong, then we’re going to leave ourselves wide open to be taken over again, just like on Earth, and I am not ready for that.” I wrapped my fingers around his strong arm and he let those beautiful gray green eyes fall on me. Only the smallest of amber specks still remained. “Ben, you lost your soul once before, you know the pain and agony that Brock is going through, don’t let him suffer. Please.” Ben didn’t answer me, but remained silent. We never talked about our old life on Earth before; it was too painful. I knew that I had hit a nerve. I was getting greatly irritated with his off the cuff attitude, and it had to stop. “Even if you don’t want to accept the fact that Brock’s soul may be trapped somewhere, you have got to be worried about Selene! We don’t know for certain that Aaron and Dawn managed to successfully round up all the F.E.C. members after the fall, they could have captured her. Are you really just going to walk away and pretend that she just left for a vacation? Somehow she’s tied to all of this and we need to find out what is going on. Don’t just turn a blind eye to it all.”

“I can assure you that my men did their job to the fullest extend and captured all of the F.E.C. members, Dustin. Don’t go pointing fingers and accuse us of dropping the ball, when we clearly asked the Shallow Bay for help and were refused!” Aaron shot back.

All eyes turned to Ben. Everyone was waiting for him to retaliate and put Aaron in his place, but oddly enough, he didn’t say a word. He was being unusually quiet. 

“Where do you even begin?” Lizzie asked, breaking the silence and trying her best to lift the tension in the room. 

Thomas glanced at his wife and frowned. “I think that the main priority here is Selene, but since we don’t have the coordinates for where she was heading, the only alternative is to begin where it all ended. We have to go back to the ruins of the F.E.C. base and see if there is anything there. That’s our starting point. If we leave now, we can make it there by sunrise tomorrow.”

Lizzie went pale. “Thomas, you can’t go. You are the Commander here; there are people who need you, including your sons.” Her blue eyes pleaded with him.

“Lizzie, love… I have to go. Selene is my mother, and Brock was the only one who stood up for me, defended me after I got brainwashed by the visor, and turned against everyone. Selene gave me life and Brock was the one who gave it back to me after I lost it, and I owe everything I have to both of them, including you and the children. I can’t sit here and do nothing.” Thomas said softly to her. 

“Who will look after things while you are away?” She asked. “I can’t do it. Not with the boys.”

“I’ll take over as temporary commander.” Aaron said. Everyone in the room turned to look at him. “I am not totally sold on the idea of going back out there either, those are still dangerous lands, but if you are really set upon going, then I will do whatever I can to help. We have a council of leaders at Dawn, so I won’t be missed for a day or two. The men here at the Shallow Bay already know and trust me, so it won’t be a problem. This way, you all can concentrate on finding Brock, and investigating these new visors without worry or concern about your base. I’ll take care of it as if it were my own home. ”

Thomas smiled and nodded. “Thank you Aaron that would be really appreciated. ”

“But not necessary.” Ben added. Now all the eyes in the room were on him as his voice boomed out loudly. “I am not going with you; I’ll take over until you get back.”

“Ben, you have to go!” I blurted out. After I said the words, I felt completely stupid, like a small child throwing a tantrum and then realized that insisting like this was not the right way to deal with Ben. “Ben, you have to go with us. Brock came to you first to ask for help. There must be a reason why he chose you, so you need to come with us.”

Turning away from the window, he walked back over to the table and slammed his fists on it. “I think that you are all wasting your time here on nothing more than a fucking dream. How many times do I have to keep telling you that Brock died in that base? He’s not coming to us in a dream, or sending coded messages through satellite transmissions, he’s DEAD! You are all are ready to go back into hero mode and save the planet all over again, but from what? Some mysterious woman wearing a visor that steals souls? Do you all realize how ridiculous this sounds? Selene said it herself that she didn’t like being trapped in one place for long, she probably made up this story so that she wouldn’t have to deal with any goodbyes from you all, and the repetitive dreams are nothing more than that… dreams. Now if you want, you all can run out there and look for something that you’re never going to find, but I won’t be a part of it.” No one spoke. We all felt like children that were being scolded for believing in Santa Claus. 

I joined Benjamin at his side. I didn’t know how to comfort him, or help him through this unexpected outburst. “Ben, can we please go talk somewhere private?” I asked.

I waited a moment, expecting him to give up his unusual bought of viciousness, but instead I was met with a direct, verbal attack in response to my request. “And you, Dustin… I expected more of you. You got exactly what you wanted, but it’s not enough, is it? Brock was right in everything he said about you. I am so disappointed. I don’t want any part of this. I am leaving.” With those words, he walked out of the room with a strike right to my heart. 

Thomas moved to get up to follow after him, but Lizzie shook her head and he sat back down and he sighed. “I spoke to him last night, outside at the fire pit. I think these dreams he’s been experiencing are far worse than the one I had. I can’t imagine having to go through them every single night…I don’t think it’s about you, Dustin.” Thomas said softly, trying to comfort me. “I believe that Brock is showing him things about his son that he was better off not knowing and the guilt is eating away at him. He’s never come to terms with leaving him behind.”

“Is there anyway we can help him?” Lizzie asked.

“The best thing is to let him cool off for now. I’ll go talk to him later.” I replied, trying my best to make an excuse. The truth was that I didn’t want to go talk to him. His words embarrassed and completely humiliated me in front of all of my friends, and I just didn’t understand the sudden need for such a violent outburst. Convincing myself that Ben was just tired and needed some rest, I sat back down at the table with the others. “When do we leave?”

Aaron grabbed his jacket and started making is way to the door. “I’ll send a message to my men and they will bring one of our best vehicles here. Be ready to go by noon.” He exited the room, leaving myself, Thomas and Lizzie behind. 

“I don’t want you to go Thomas.” Lizzie said, leaning against her husband. “But I know that you have to. At the wedding, when I saw Brock, I knew he couldn’t possibly be there. I wasn’t looking at him, but rather his soul, and it was so beautiful, bright and shining. I started to weep. He gently touched my hand and leaned in to whisper in my ear ‘don’t cry for me Lizzie, because it’s better to lose your life than your soul.’ I never knew what he meant by that, but now I do. He gave up his life because he wanted to save Burnley’s soul…and he sacrificed himself for love, and now his own soul is in danger. If we don’t go out there and save him, who will?” Thomas kissed Lizzie and for a moment I forgot all about Ben’s harsh words. I was looking at such love and devotion, that it broke my heart. In a way, I was a bit jealous of them, they weren’t afraid or ashamed to let their affection for one another show, whereas Ben liked to keep our private lives private. “I am going to go get your gear ready, Thomas.” Lizzie glanced over at me. “Don’t be too long okay?”

Lizzie headed out of the room, and Thomas stood up and started pacing, running his fingers through his dark, curly hair. “I am sorry Dustin; I didn’t mean to throw all of this on you at once. Maybe Ben is right, and we’re all going out there to chase ghosts, but I know that I won’t be able to sleep ever again until I know for certain that Brock is at rest. The things that he showed me were terrible, and I can’t imagine someone having to live through that over and over again, being tormented by it each night.”

I closed my eyes. “Was it really bad?” I asked.

Taking a breath, Thomas hesitated for a moment. “Every single emotion that he experienced that night one year ago, from that first heartbreaking kiss, to the last breath of his life, I was shown in graphic detail. I felt everything that he felt, I went through that entire night, watching and experiencing everything through his eyes, and honestly I can understand why he wanted to die that night.” I lowered my head, Thomas’s words stung even more than Ben’s. “But you know something, Dustin? At the end of all things, he still had love for you in his heart. I could feel it. That’s why he came back here to see you one last time. He knew that he would never be able to escape his fate, and he wanted one more night with you, one more quiet conversation and one more smile on your lips before he could disappear forever...but he wasn't even granted the peace in death he so desperately wanted...” Thomas leaned on the table next to me. “This is why I am going out, leaving my wife and children behind and putting my own life as risk, because I believe in love… and so should you.” He took hold of my shoulder and gave it a light squeeze.

“I wish Ben would see it that way.” I sighed. “Everything’s been perfect between us up to this point, and now it feels like he’s pulling away and shutting me out.”

“He’s only doing it to protect you, Dustin. Benjamin loves you very much and would rip down a concrete wall with is bare hands if something got between the two of you. You are his strength and his weakness. He couldn’t tell you, or any of us about the dreams because he wanted us to be safe, and keep living the perfect life that we have now. Don’t judge him too harshly for it, he only wants what is best for us all, even if that means sacrificing his own happiness.” Thomas stood up and headed for the door. “Benjamin made his decision to stay behind and I am sure that there is more to it than he’s letting on, but you have to decide for yourself if you want to stay at his side and support him, or head out there and face the unknown. No one can tell you what to do. The choice is yours.”

Thomas left and I sat there, alone in the conference room for what felt like an eternity listening to the rain pound against the windows. It had started out bright and sunny, but the early morning hours had brought large dark rain clouds with it, and now there was a complete downpour outside. I wanted to crawl back into bed next to Ben and forget everything that had happened, but I knew that wasn’t possible. I had to fulfill my promise to Brock to protect him forever, no matter what the cost. 

Leaving the room, I went back to our private quarters, expecting to find Ben there sulking, but he wasn’t there. I looked all around the base, but I couldn’t find him. Finally deciding to go talk to Thomas, I made my way to their rooms and Lizzie buzzed me in. Before I could ask her where Ben was, I heard the music. Lizzie smiled at me and brought her finger up to her lips and led me over to the nursery room where the cribs were set up. Ben was sitting there in Lizzie’s rocking chair with his back to the door, playing a song on his guitar while both of the babies looked on, completely transfixed and mesmerized by his voice.  
Daylight dies - Blackout the sky  
Does anyone care? - Is anybody there?  
Take this life Empty inside  
I'm already dead - I'll rise to fall again  
I can feel you falling away - No longer the lost  
No longer the same - And I can see you starting to break  
I'll keep you alive - If you show me the way  
Forever, and ever - The scars will remain  
I'm falling apart - Leave me here forever in the dark  
As his fingers hit the last note on the strings, and the last echoes of his voice rang out in the small room, he gently put the guitar down on the floor and leaned back in the rocking chair. “People used to say that song was depressing, but I don’t believe it is. These were the first lyrics that I wrote after I became sober, and I had written so many songs while I was drunk, I was starting to think that maybe I wouldn’t be able to do it without some form of alcoholic assistance. I thought about my life, about all those who betrayed me, and tried to take things away from me, and put all these feelings down on paper. It started to be about having faith, and finding a way to believe in something --- a god, a lover, a friend, a child… anything really, and using that faith to pull you out of the darkest times in your life. No, the song isn’t depressing, but inspiring, if you just take a moment and really listen to it.”

I stood in the doorway, leaning against the wall. “It’s beautiful, Ben. Everything you write is beautiful.”

He turned his head slightly to look at me. It was strange seeing him without a beard and wearing his cadet hat. It reminded me very much of Burnley. “Are you really going?” he asked.

“Yes. It’s just something I need to do. Aaron is bringing us a vehicle from Dawn and we’re going to leave as soon as he returns. I really wish you’d come with us, Ben.”

“Aaron is going with you?” I detected a note of surprise in his voice. “Why isn’t he returning to Dawn?”

I crossed my arms in front of my chest and shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess he just wants to be part of our group and help. He’s not a bad guy, Ben.”

Ben got up from the rocking chair and made his way over to me. Standing directly in front of me, I had to crane my head up to look into his eyes. He reached out and stroked his fingers across my cheek. The touch was like fire on my cool skin. “Dustin, I want you to seriously reconsider going. Let Thomas and Aaron handle it. There’s no need to put yourself through any more pain.”

I reached up and took his hand away from my face, lacing my fingers together with his. I heard Lizzie quietly slip out of the room behind me and shut the door. “If this is all some sort of dream, like you said, then what’s the harm in it? We will just go to the ruins, spend some time poking around there and then right back. To be honest, I would feel a lot better if you went with us. Please?”

At that moment, one of the babies started to cry and Ben went over to the crib and scooped up the small boy into his arms, rocking him back and forth. From the sandy colored hair, I could see that it was little Benjamin fussing about. “I can’t leave this place defenseless, and I don’t trust Aaron. I have to remain here. I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if something happened to the kids.” 

I couldn’t help but to stare at Ben. I had never seen this side of him before. This wasn’t the rock star, the demon or even a leader of the Shallow Bay here in front of me. I saw a man there who was incredibly protective of his family. There was a softness to his face that made me wonder how Burnley even thought that this man could possibly ever abandon him. A shiver went down my spine, knowing that the child that he held in his arms could possibly be the son of a lunatic. So many times I considered telling Ben the truth about what happened to Lizzie, but in the end, I never could do it. It wasn’t just my secret to keep, but hers as well, and I had to respect that. In a way, I think that Ben knew who the child’s father was. One look at the boy and you just knew that he didn’t belong to Thomas, and sometimes knowing this truly broke my heart.

“I knew that Selene told you that she was going after Brock, and I knew that you let her go, Ben.” I said softly. “I overheard the argument between the two of you weeks ago, and I didn’t do a thing to stop her.” I didn’t know why I felt the need to confess my guilt to him, it just seemed like the right thing to do, perhaps I wanted to level the playing field between us, take some of the burden off his shoulders. “Part of me wanted to confront her about it, or insist that she take me with her… but I didn’t. I knew deep inside that Brock was dead and that I had to go on with out him. He wanted me to let go so that I could find my own happiness. It was at that moment that I knew that I made my decision to be with you for the rest of my life. I was finally able to put the past behind me. Maybe I am partly responsible for her disappearance too, because I could have stopped her, and I didn’t. I have a feeling that she would have gone, even if we tried to persuade her not to, she’s just as stubborn as Thomas. Ben… I want you to know that whatever happens out there, it’s you who has my heart, and always will.”

Benjamin shifted the baby in his arms who had stopped crying and was starting to fall asleep. “Dustin, I trust you completely… but sometimes the past doesn’t stay buried. That woman in the dreams…she is...”

The door opened behind us and Lizzie stepped in. “Sorry I didn’t mean to interrupt but Thomas says that Aaron has arrived and is waiting outside for you, Dustin.” She saw the baby in Ben’s arms and frowned. “Oh no, is he sick again?” A worried look came across her face.

“No. He just wanted someone to hold him.” Ben answered and handed her the little boy. 

Almost as instantly as he handed him over, he started to cry. Lizzie sighed and tried to get him quiet again. Benjamin reached out, wanting to take him from her, and she turned away, putting him back down in his crib. “No Benjamin, you both need to shoo out of here and go say your goodbyes before Thomas and Aaron leave without you. Go on now.” Benjamin leaned forward and kissed the top of the screaming infant’s head. I wasn’t sure how to feel about the fact that he was getting so close to little Benjamin. I made a mental note to speak to him about it when I returned home. 

Together we left Thomas and Lizzie’s rooms. At first I thought we were going to go back to our own rooms, but instead Ben made his way down to the docks where Aaron and Thomas were waiting. We stood on the enclosed bay area, near the vehicle and Ben took hold of my hand. “Dustin, I want you to take this with you.” I felt him slip something into the palm of my hand and then as I brought my arm up to look at it, Ben pushed it back down and whispered to me. “Not here, not now. It’s a tracking device similar to the one that Selene had put on Thomas. When you are alone, attach it somewhere onto you that no one will see and activate it. This way I can track you if something happens.”

“Ben, nothing is going to happen to us!” 

“You don’t know that for certain, and I’d much rather just have this piece of mind while you are out there chasing ghosts that you don’t become one yourself.” He said. 

I looked down to where Thomas and Aaron were waiting. “Well I guess this is it. I’ll be back in a day or two.”

Ben nodded to me. “I will have someone monitoring radio signals 24-7. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call.” 

“Okay. Sure.” I stood there like a idiot for a few seconds, waiting for something more from him. I could feel the two others staring up at us, expecting to see a romantic goodbye or something sentimental, but I knew they would be sadly disappointed. There was no way that Ben would show any signs of public affection towards me. Especially not now that we were at odds with one another over the trip. I wanted a kiss goodbye, or at least a hug, but the only thing I got instead was a tracking device and a lecture. Sighing to myself, I moved away from Ben and started walking down the ramp towards the docks, when I felt his hand reach out and grab hold of my wrist, stopping me. I turned around to face him, curiously and he took his other hand and wrapped it around my waist, pulling my body in close to his and then devoured my lips with an intense, passionate kiss that completely took my breath away. Caught off guard and unexpected, my knees threatened to buckle underneath me, and I had to grab hold of his leather jacket to keep from falling over. I felt his fingertips move up and down my spine and I closed my eyes for one moment, enjoying the feeling of those strong arms completely taking control of my body and overwhelming me with the euphoric sensation of delight. I heard Aaron say something to Thomas, who responded with a quick reprimand and a angry look. 

I stayed there in Ben’s arms for several minutes, before he finally released me. I reached up and placed a hand alongside his face and whispered to him. “I love you” and much to my surprise, he repeated the words back to me. Before I could say another word or get one last look at him, he turned and started to walk away, his long legs pulling him far up the ramp and back into the base. I made my way to the vehicle and as soon as I reached it, I noticed that there were only 2 bags packed and waiting in the back seat. “What’s going on?” I asked.

“Aaron decided that he wants to stay here, to help Benjamin with security detail while we’re away.” Thomas said. “I think it’s a great idea, since Ben’s not been able to get any rest for weeks, and could possibly be weakened by the lack of sleep.”

“Are you implying that Ben is weak right now, Thomas? Because if you are, I think that it’s best that we call him back here and you say that to his face.” I scoffed.

“It was my idea.” Aaron said, jumping out of the vehicle. “Thomas had nothing to do with it. I am sure that Benjamin won’t mind another pair of eyes keeping watch around here, and if he is, then I can easily call for a ride and go back to Dawn, easy as that. It’s not about anybody being weak, Dustin. We just want to make sure that the Shallow Bay is safe, after all, Thomas has a wife and kids in there.”

I looked to Thomas, who tried to give me his best reassuring smile. “Dustin, hey… it’s okay. Come on, let’s go now. The sooner we leave, the sooner we can get back. I'll let you choose the CD we listen to.”

Taking a deep breath, I pulled the door open and climbed inside. As I reached for the door handle to pull it closed, Aaron came over and stopped me, holding the door open for a moment. “Just remember, that no matter what happens out there, you both have someone waiting for you to return to.” He smiled and pushed the door shut on me. God how I hated that smile. I didn’t like Aaron very much, and I knew that Ben had some trust issues with him as well, but he did save our lives one year ago, and we owed him that. 

Aaron thumped his hand on the roof of the vehicle and stepped back, as Thomas started the engine and booted up the GPS system that would lead us back to the F.E.C. base. As soon as the screen flashed to life, he shifted the vehicle into drive and we drove out of the Shallow Bay docks. I looked in the mirror and watched the base behind us grow smaller and smaller until it was nothing more than a dot on the horizon. I glanced at the computer screen and sighed to myself. The display read that there was roughly 18 hours of driving time before we could reach our destination. I glanced over to Thomas. “Did you program the coordinates into that?” I asked, curious.

He shook his head. “No. Aaron did it. He also supplied the packs in the back with everything we need and put some weapons in there too, just in case we need them. Since we don’t know what we’re getting into, it’s a good idea to be prepared for anything.”

I watched as the wipers pushed the water away from the windshield in dull fascination. “Do you trust him?”

“Who? Aaron? Yes I trust him. He took care of Lizzie and Selene after they were attacked, and saved us as well.” Thomas gave me a wary glance. “Dustin you’ve got to get over this not trusting him thing, it’s starting to get a little annoying. Aaron explained that he couldn’t leave a vehicle for us out there because he needed them all for the attack on the F.E.C. headquarters, but he was never going to abandon us. He’s been part of our lives now for a year and has only shown us kindness and respect. You’d see this too if you ever went to see his family at Dawn.”

Leaning back in my seat, I watched the dreary, water logged scenery pass by outside of the window. “Ben doesn’t want to go there. I can’t say for certain what his reasons are, but I think it has something to do with the fact of who Aaron’s father was. They were friends, so long ago…maybe there was some bad blood between them, I don’t know, but whatever it is, it’s enough to keep Ben away.”

Thomas kept his hands on the wheel and his eyes focused on the road. I could see his knuckles turn white as he spoke, he was a bit nervous about the subject but wanted to make conversation with me. “When Benjamin and I were… um, together… he refused to talk about the past. I always just assumed that he had bad memories of Earth and didn’t want to bring them up. A lot of the staff saw the wedding ring that he wore and would whisper behind his back about this tragic romance he had back on Earth, making up these sappy romantic stories about him and his ah… lover… tragically torn apart by fate and scattered through time and space, doomed to never see each other again.” Thomas stopped for a moment to adjust the GPS device that had started to flicker, it’s signal growing weaker as the storm we were driving into grew stronger and stronger. “Of course all those stories stopped when Burnley came into the picture. To be honest, I think that some of the people lost a little respect for Benjamin then, because they couldn’t understand how a man could let his son become so sadistic. That could be one of the reasons why he wants to keep the past behind him. It’s better to bury the memories, than bury your own child.”

The sound of the rain was making me tired, and I took a moment to rest my head against the cool glass of the window. One year ago, I sat in the exact same position, watching the fire consume the F.E.C. base that we were quickly driving away from with so much agony and sorrow in my heart. Now here I was, heading back towards the place that I never wanted to see again, with some insane notion that I could possibly be able to see Brock again. Ben was right. I was hopeless. 

“Hey Dustin, it’s going to be a long drive. Why don’t you get some sleep and then half way through, I can wake you and you can take over driving?” Thomas asked, glancing over at me. 

The sound of the rain hitting the roof did make me feel tired, and the idea of getting a few more hours of sleep did sound good. At least I could shut down and force myself to stop thinking about Brock until we got there. “Sure, that would be fine. Just don’t be a hero and try to drive all the way yourself.”

Thomas laughed. “Of course not! I do have to stop sometime to get out and pee.” I shook my head and smiled at him, partly closing my eyes. He tapped lightly on the GPS device once more and I caught a glimpse of light reflecting off his hand. It was the wedding ring that Ben and I had made for him and Lizzie. There were traces of Ben’s own ring melted down inside of it, mixed with left over pieces of steel and other metals left behind in wake of the F.E.C.’s destructive wrath. I remembered how happy we all were on their wedding day, and as I slowly drifted off to sleep, I kept wondering what it would be like to be married, your soul promised to another for all of eternity, and my heart started to hurt, because I knew that Brock would never be able to know this joy.

Benjamin sat at the desk, his elbows propped up on top of it and started rubbing the back of his neck as Lizzie came into the control room of the Shallow Bay, pushing the carriage with the babies in it. “How did I know that I would find you here?” She said, frowning at him. “They’ve only been gone for a few hours and already you’ve been monitoring every frequency. Benjamin, this isn’t healthy, you have got to get some rest. If you like I can even stay here for a while with the boys.”

Swinging his chair around to the side, Ben picked up the smaller of the twins, Benjamin and held him against his chest. Almost instantly the baby started to giggle and laugh. “I can’t leave. There’s a massive storm moving in out of nowhere and it’s heading straight for them. I’ve been trying to raise them on the radio, but I am afraid that there’s too much interference. I had a feeling that something like this was going to happen.” 

Lizzie picked up the other baby, Tristan and cradled him in her arms, glancing at the screen in front of Ben. “That doesn’t look good. Do you think that they are in danger?”

Ben frowned. “Not yet. I gave Dustin a tracking device, one similar to the one that Selene used on Thomas. It has a strong signal that can broadcast even under the worst conditions, so that I can follow their movements. For the time being, they are safe, as long as they stay ahead of the storm, but if they stop for an extended period of time, it will catch up to them.” Punching a few buttons on the keyboard, Ben zoomed in and expanded the view for Lizzie to get a better look. “But that’s not all. According to these calculations, the storm is expanding. Which means in a few hours…”

“It’s going to hit us too.” Lizzie said, with a shaky voice. “We’re going to have to start preparing, letting all of the staff know.”

“Yes, but it has to be done quietly. This has all the makings of a extreme weather event, probably with major damage . With Thomas gone, we don’t know how people are going to react. We don’t want them to panic.” Suddenly the door behind them opened up, and Aaron stepped inside. Lizzie took a step back and Ben looked on, angry and upset. “Aaron, what the hell are you doing here? I thought that you went with Dustin and Thomas?”

At the sound of Ben’s raised voice, Tristan started to cry and Lizzie started rocking him back and forth to quiet him down. Aaron walked over to her and tried to comfort the child, but Lizzie stepped away from him, moving closer to Ben and her other child. “Well, there was a slight change of plans at the last minute.” Aaron smiled. “I have some information that I think you might be very interested in, Benjamin, and it couldn’t wait. I had to bring it to you straight away, and of course Thomas, as anxious as he always is, wanted to leave as soon as possible so I thought it best that I let them go on their way and I remain behind to bring this to you.” 

“Thomas would have waited.” Lizzie said in a low voice. “He can be a bit anxious at times, but if you would have explained to him that you had some information for Benjamin, he would have waited.”

Aaron moved across the room and leaned on the control panel near Ben casually. “Well I will admit that I really didn’t think it through and I am sorry. You will have to forgive my blunder there. Sometimes I get ahead of myself, especially when it comes to the fact that someone’s life may be in danger.”

“What are you talking about?” Benjamin asked in a curt tone. He was rapidly losing patience with Aaron and the sound of Ben’s voice made Lizzie cringe. Tristan wouldn’t stop crying and the noise was only adding to the tension in the room. “Just come out and say whatever it is that you have to say, Aaron, and stop making it all about the drama.”

Crossing his arms in front of his chest Aaron shook his head. “Don’t you think that we discuss this in a more private setting, Benjamin?” He said, looking directly at Lizzie. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, Lizzie, but I think that you’ve got your hands full here.” 

“Benjamin and Tristan aren’t bothering you, and I want to hear what you have to say.” Lizzie shot back with fierceness. 

Aaron shrugged and looked to Benjamin, who was still holding one of the boys in his arms. Slowly, Ben rose out of the chair, keeping the baby tight against his chest and glared at Aaron. “Either you tell us what information you have, the real reason why you stayed behind, or you get the hell out of my base.” Lizzie stood next to him, with a slight smirk on her face.

Raising his hands up, Aaron smiled and took a step back. “Okay, I apologize. I just thought it would be easier if you weren’t hindered with the kids in here.” His eyes fell on the boy held tightly in Ben’s arms. “I know that sometimes, children can cloud our judgment, as we tend to get overprotective of them. I have a family and I am guilty of that too. Family… and blood… have very strong ties.” He looked up from the baby to Benjamin, speaking quietly. “It’s really nice to see a infant behaving so well, especially since his father isn’t here.”

“You didn’t come here to talk about MY kids, Aaron.” Lizzie said, her eyes smoldering with contained rage. 

Laughing Aaron smiled again, and waved his hand. “You’re right; we have more pressing matters to discuss.” Reaching into his pocket, he brought out a sheet of paper which was yellowed and torn on the edges and started to unfold it, placing it on the control panel in front of them. As he spread the paper out, Benjamin and Lizzie leaned forward to get a better look at it. It was a simple sheet of hand written words, a little faded and worn from being left outside in the sunlight for too long. Most of the sentences were all still legible, with one exception. Near the end of the last paragraph, there was a large stain, and beneath it, scrawled out in what looked like dried blood were a series of numbers. 

Benjamin picked up the paper and his face turned pale. He turned around and placed the baby he was holding back in the carriage, and the little boy almost immediately began to cry. “Lizzie, take Benjamin and Tristan out of here please.”

“What? Why? Ben, what’s on that paper!?” She asked, becoming instantly worried with the growing look of fear reflected in Benjamin’s face.

“Lizzie, please just do as I ask.” 

Placing Tristan down in the carriage next to his brother, Lizzie did as she was told, the tone in Ben’s voice convincing her that something serious was going on. “Alright, I am taking them back to the nursery, but I am coming right back here, and you both are going to fess up and tell me what the hell is going on. I won’t be left out. Got it?”

Aaron opened the door for her and Lizzie left the room in a huff, mumbling underneath her breath. After she had exited, Aaron turned back to Benjamin. “Now you understand why I didn’t want her here.”

Ben sighed, keeping his eyes on the piece of aged paper. He was holding onto a page from the book that Dustin had been writing about his experiences on Prox, the Prox Transmissions. Dustin had explained to Benjamin that he had given the book to Selene after he had finished it, because he wanted to finish off that chapter in his life, forget about the past and move on. Ben had watched Dustin hand it to her on the day that she left. Frowning, Benjamin pointed to the numbers on the bottom. “These are coordinates.”

Moving to stand at Ben’s side, Aaron nodded. “Yes. I verified them already. It’s far away from here, a few hours drive, way up in the old canyon. Treacherous territory. Our scans show that there’s nothing up there except a river and some vegetation, nothing else.”

“How did you come by this?” Ben asked, trying to keep himself calm. There was too much going on now and he was struggling to do his best not to let his anxiousness show.

Aaron shifted from foot to foot. “Some of my men were on a routine patrol out in the northern sector when they saw something in the rocks of the river bed. Upon closer examination, they discovered a shredded black coat that had apparently been washed down to the bottom of the canyon by the currents. It was unclear how long the coat had been there or where it even came from. Inside one of the pockets was that paper with the coordinates on.” He leaned in closer. “Benjamin, we both know who that coat belongs to, and what Dustin’s book contains. The fact that both of them are missing is cause for alarm. I think that something had happened to Selene, and she tried to leave us a clue to try and find her.”

The hand that Benjamin held the scrap of paper in was shaking now, and he kept staring at the numbers written so haphazardly on it. “Aaron. Why the fucking hell didn’t you tell me about this sooner!”

“I didn’t know that Selene was missing. You’ve made it obvious that you don’t want me around here, and you won’t come to Dawn. To be honest, I had forgotten about it until Thomas called me here today. I wanted to present it to all of you, together, but as you keep saying… this isn’t my place, and I don’t belong here. I was getting ready to head back to Dawn when I remembered it. I thought that in light of these new events, it should be brought to your attention.” Aaron sat down in Benjamin’s chair and leaned back. “And besides, if I had told Thomas about it, you know that he’d be incredibly upset, so would Lizzie. I wanted to give it directly to you, so that you can choose what to do with it.” He looked up to Ben and fixed his eyes directly on him. “Benjamin, there’s absolutely no harm in keeping this to yourself. Lizzie doesn’t know exactly what it is on that paper, she didn’t get a good look at it. Make up something to tell her and let her go back to being a mother. We can handle this discreetly, just the two of us.”

The door opened up and Lizzie stepped in. Her eyes went from Aaron in the chair to Benjamin. “Okay, what did I miss?”

Benjamin folded up the piece of paper and slipped it into his pocket. Taking his cadet had off, he flung it onto the computer console that was still flashing with bright lights, warning of the storm approaching. “Get the fuck out of my chair, Aaron. “Standing at the doorway, Lizzie stifled a smile as Aaron scrambled to his feet. Benjamin walked over to Lizzie. “Aaron and I have to leave the base for a short time. While I am gone, you’re in charge.”

Her eyes widened. “What! Me?” Lizzie shook her head furiously. “Ben, I can’t be in charge, it’s impossible. Tell me what’s going on.”

Reaching out, Benjamin took hold of her arms and held them tightly in his strong hands. The feeling of him touching her seemed to instantly calm her, and fill her with courage. “Listen to me. We have a lead on where Selene may possibly be. I want to go right now, as soon as possible. No hesitating, understand?”

Lizzie stood motionless, staring at Ben in disbelief. “…..you found Selene?”

“Wait, what do you mean that ‘we are’ going? Ben, you can’t be serious going out there right now to look for her! That’s crazy.” Aaron blurted out. Moving across the room, he tried to get past Benjamin. “I have to get back to Dawn.”

Just as Aaron drew near him, Benjamin pulled his arm back and put his hand on the center of Aaron’s chest pushing him back towards the wall. “You’re not going back to Dawn, or to your family until all of our family has returned.” Ben stood up tall, right in Aaron's face. “And if for one minute you think that you are going to turn tail and abandon us, then I will see to it that you NEVER get to go back there, got it?” Trembling, Aaron nodded and Benjamin released him. Lizzie looked on, frightened. “You will be fine, Lizzie. Everyone here knows and loves you. This place belongs just as much to you as it does to Thomas. You know it inside and out. The people will do whatever it is that you ask them to, just be confident and believe in yourself. We will be back with Selene before you know it.”

“If she’s even still alive.” Aaron added.

Immediately, Ben lashed out at him with incredible anger. “You should consider yourself lucky that I don’t turn around and kick the shit out of you right now for withholding this information from us, Aaron.” Roughly, Ben grabbed him by the arm and forced him out into the hallway. Taking hold of one of Lizzie’s hands, Ben held onto it tightly and smiled at her. She looked up into his beautiful dark eyes and nodded. “You got this.” Winking at her, he turned away and started walking down the hall.

She watched them both walk away, and sighed. Commanding the Shallow Bay was not something that she was prepared for, but she deeply respected and looked up to Benjamin, and she knew that he wouldn’t make her do something that she couldn’t handle. Tearing her gaze away from the empty hall, she looked back into the command room, and the computer monitors that illuminated the desk. All of the screens were lit up with warning lights, flashing a bright pattern of colors, displaying the information about the weather system that was about to hit them. “Hurry back.” She whispered. “There’s a storm coming.”

I awoke with a severe pain in my neck and shoulder. It was almost impossible to move. I slid my hand around the back of my neck and tried to get some range of motion in it, when I realized that I was sitting in the vehicle, and I was alone. Forgetting about the pain for a moment, I looked around and saw that it was night, and there was a massive storm raging outside. The driver’s side door was left open, and the wind and water came pouring in, splashing against my face and forcing me into consciousness. Where the hell was Thomas? Stretching across the seat, I leaned over and pulled the door closed, trying to shut out the frigid wind that sapped away every bit of warmth I had in me. 

Glancing around to the backseat, I searched for the bags that Aaron had packed us and pulled one over the seat, quickly unzipping it. As I started to rummage through it, panic began to set in. Neatly tucked away inside was a week’s worth of rations, a change of clothing, a flashlight, and some basic medical supplies. No weapons at all. Cursing to myself, I pulled out the waterproof flight jacket and threw it on over the coat that I was already wearing, trying to keep the cold at bay. Grabbing the flash light, I flicked it on and examined the drivers seat where Thomas was supposed to be. Everything looked in place, no evidence of a struggle or fight at all. It appeared that he just simply opened up the door and walked out. I found the radio lying on the floor at my feet and I snatched it up, tuning into the frequency that the Shallow Bay was on and trying to connect. The only response was static. Changing the signal, I tried to connect to anyone who happened to be in the area, but there was nothing but radio silence. 

I leaned back in the seat, unsure of what to do. I didn’t know where I was, or what caused Thomas to leave the safety of the vehicle and run out into a torrential downpour. I could feel the temperature dropping and decided that I could start the engine to get warm. Reaching for the ignition, my heart sank. There were no keys. “Fuck Thomas!” I shouted and pounded my fist against the dash board. 

The sound of running water quickly distracted my momentary rage, and I looked outside to see that there was large amounts of water pooling up around the tires of the vehicle. Behind me, there was a small stream that was expanding outward, past it’s banks and starting to overflow. I knew then that I couldn’t remain with the vehicle for very long, or else the flood waters would consume it. Shoving everything back into the bag that Aaron had left for us, I gathered things up all the supplies as fast as I could. I didn’t know where Thomas was, or even which way he went, but I did know for certain that I was in danger here and I had to find some other form of shelter as fast as possible. 

Slinging the bag over my shoulder, I pushed the door open and stepped outside. I was assaulted immediately by the freezing cold rain, soaking instantly into everything that I was wearing and chilling me right to the bone. My feet sank a few inches into the mud, and it took me a few attempts to get them free before finally being able to walk. I could now see that we were parked in the middle of a vast wooded area with tall over powering trees and grass that was as tall as my waist. Moving away from the vehicle, I walked a few feet and then my flashlight illuminated something that looked like a path right in front of me, leading down a hill. Taking a few unsure steps, I nervously glanced around, hoping to catch sight of Thomas somewhere nearby, but there was nothing. A crack of thunder and the creak of the massive trees reminded me that I needed to keep moving. 

I followed the path for what felt like an eternity. I had to remove my glasses and keep my head bowed down low to avoid getting rain in my eyes as well as watch where I was walking. I imagined accidentally twisting my ankle or tripping over something, breaking a leg and getting stranded out here. It was not a life experience I wanted to go through. My body was shivering from the cold, and I kept walking, hoping that the adrenaline would keep me going until I found shelter, or the storm would ease up. Another crack of thunder made me jump, and I knew that it was getting worse. Maybe I had made a mistake in leaving the vehicle, maybe the waters wouldn’t get high enough to be of concern, there was just no way of knowing. I convinced myself to keep walking. Even if I wasn’t in immediate danger, Thomas might be, and I knew that I had to keep going to find him. There was no way I could return back to the Shallow Bay and Lizzie without him. Whatever it took, I was going to find him, and when I did, I was going to slap him right upside the head for leaving me alone in the middle of nowhere. 

I walked for two hours and then found myself at the end of the path. I flashed my light around, past all the trees moving in the wind and the sheets of rain as they fell down from the sky, and all I could see was nothing but trees and overgrown weeds surrounding me. I was soaked through every single layer of clothing that I wore, and my body was starting to ache from the cold. The path led me to a dead end. There was no place else to go. I considered turning around and going back. If I could find the vehicle again and stayed with it, maybe Thomas could find his way back too. The only drawbacks were that it was a long two hour walk back through the dense forest filled with mud and downed logs littering the path that I’d have to try and avoid again, and there was no guarantee that the vehicle would even still be there. 

Almost ready to give up, I happened to see something out of the corner of my eye further into the forest. It looked like some sort of flashing light. I cautiously took a few steps in, pushing the tree branches and dense vines out of my way, trying to get a better look. I could see it now, it was a series of three lights straight ahead of me, flashing brightly in the dead of night. Something was definitely up there. With renewed hope, I picked up the speed and walked faster towards the blinking lights. Soon I came out into a clearing and as the light from my flashlight illuminated the area in front of me, my jaw dropped open and my hand started to tremble. 

I had found the old messenger base that had been overrun by the F.E.C. so long ago.

I found Eden.

**Author's Note:**

> For a while now I have been thinking back to the start of the series, and the original Messenger base that Thomas and Benjamin once commanded. Because it didn't last for very long before becoming over-run, I never got a chance to name it, then all of a sudden it came to me and that is where Eden came from.


End file.
